President Lee Jae-myung on Friday instructed the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) to take full charge of measures to ease public transit congestion during rush hours, including restrictions on free rides for senior citizens.
A Presidential Office official told reporters that "the issue of free public transit usage time slots is a matter of commuter congestion relief measures," adding that the president has delegated the task to MOLIT. Earlier Friday, a media outlet reported that while President Lee had ordered research into restricting seniors' free rides on public transit during commuting hours, no ministry was taking the lead, with agencies passing responsibility to one another.
President Lee had previously instructed at a Cabinet meeting on May 24 that officials "look into ways to restrict free public transit use by senior citizens during commuting hours," saying, "Isn't it painful that congestion is so high during rush hours?"
After criticism emerged that related ministries were "passing the buck" on the task, President Lee directly designated MOLIT to take charge of the review. The official explained, "Currently there is an odd-even license plate driving restriction for vehicles, and if the level is escalated, public institutions could implement an every-other-day restriction, which would naturally increase public transit congestion." The official added, "MOLIT is responsible for preparing commuter congestion relief measures, and the portion regarding free public transit use is included in that."
The official further noted, "The premise is that MOLIT should take responsibility and formulate policy on commuter congestion relief measures, and content regarding free public transit use could be included in that."